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New Royal Navy Reserve officers complete intensive training
20 August 2025
The latest cohort of Royal Navy Reserve Officers have completed intense training to launch their service careers.
Twenty-three Officer Cadets undertook the challenging eight-week Accelerated Officer Programme to prepare them for life in the Royal Navy.
They spent the first three weeks at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, learning topics such as drill, firearms, sea-survival, navigation and physical fitness. Next up was developing leadership skills through a series of dynamic assessments.
“I joined the RNR to serve my country, learn new skills and undertake world-class training. AOP has given me the opportunity to get through a considerable chunk of my officer training pipeline within two months. I particularly enjoyed sea-survival training, and can’t wait to get to sea onboard a real warship,” said OC Smith.
The final phase of their training involves spending two weeks onboard one of the Royal Navy’s ships.
I joined the RNR to serve my country, learn new skills and undertake world-class training. AOP has given me the opportunity to get through a considerable chunk of my officer training pipeline within two months.
Lieutenant McPherson, one of the Accelerated Officer Programme’s Divisional Officers, said: “AOP is a very demanding course, the Officer Cadets don’t have a day off in two months. But the reward at the end of it is that they will be officers of the Royal Navy, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their full-time colleagues.
“The course has brought together a unique group of people, our cadets include nurses, engineers, a teacher, a taxman and even a stunt woman! So, we have a broad range of talent to work with, and I am confident we are delivering all that is required to ensure that those individuals become outstanding officers of the Senior Service.”
The Accelerated Officer Programme is now in its ninth year of operation having begun in the summer of 2017. The training for officers in the Royal Naval Reserve usually takes two years on a part-time basis. By committing to this intense programme over the summer, potential officers can complete this training in eight weeks.